This is the first time that I have ever bought a one way ticket. The implications of this are beginning to sink in. I sit in the unparalleled splendour and comfort of seat 11C on Ryanair flight FR227 from Bristol to Krakow....yes I am moving to Poland.
That's right, Poland the team that drew 1-1 with England in 1973, thus depriving England of a place at the 1974 World Cup. Tomaszewski's save from an Alan Clarke volley towards the end of the game was unforgettable especially after pundit Brian Clough looked down the lens of the camera in the pre match analysis and in his own inimitable way said ' Put your feet up, make a cup of tea, they've got this clown in goal '. Yes, a clown with very long arms!!
Yes, the country where the Solidarity movement of the early 1980's, gave rise to a broad, non violent, anti- Communist social movement, that, at it's height, claimed some 9.4 million members....this was very soon followed by the dismantling of the communist governmental system and by Poland's transformation into a modern democratic state.
Yes, Poland, the country that has had to suffer some of the most heinous and despicable war crimes in the history of the world. Between 1941 and 1945, the German Nazis established six extermination camps in German-occupied Polish territory - Chelmno, Belzec, Sohibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkinau and Majdanek.
Yes, Poland, the country in CENTRAL Europe....please, please never suggest to a Pole that their country is in Eastern Europe. The historical reasons behind the split between Western and Eastern Europe are the same reasons why Polish people can be offended when Poland is being catagorized as an Eastern European country. Polish people want to cut off from the past and they see themselves much more Western than Eastern. Times of the Cold War are left behind and Poland in the last 30 years has done everything it can to move away from Russian influence.
Reactions to my decision to move to central Europe have varied but generally everyone I know has been very supportive and in some cases even rather envious. I am undertaking something I have wanted to do for many years and that is to teach English as a foreign language. The reason to do this in Krakow is because my partner is Polish and she intends to work in the legal profession here. Dependent on me passing the entrance exam I will undergo a months long intensive course at the British Council in the city centre and then be in a position to work either in a school or on a one to one basis, or indeed both.
My intention is to write about my experiences along the way, whether it be restaurants visited, places of interest explored or simply an observational blog on everyday life here in Krakow. Please feel free to comment accordingly. Any feedback will be gratefully accepted. Thank you.
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